Fencing manufacturer Charles Ransford & Son Ltd has invested about £3m upgrading its sawmill to improve production flexibility and increase output.
The Bishop’s Castle-based manufacturer turned to EWD for a new twin band resaw system, which was installed in combination with sorting and stacking technology from Kallfass.
The installation, the biggest single investment in Ransford’s history, has led to a 20% growth in output.
EWD’s resaw, powered by two 90kW motors and a feed speed of 30-100m/min, replaced an existing MEM resaw at the factory. Ransford said it had needed a more modern and powerful resaw system which required less labour to operate.
“One of the reasons we invested in the system was because we require a large degree of flexibility. We’re a specialist fencing manufacturer and deal with a wide variety of product,” said mill manager Steve Turner.
The company manufactures about 12 different core sizes, with its product range including post and rail, timber palisade, close board and trip rail in species such as larch and Douglas fir. Motorway acoustic fencing is one of its specialties.
The EWD resaw (1600m wheel diameter) receives lumber from a reducer bandsaw in lengths ranging from 2.4-5.7m. The four-sided cants range from 60x60mm up to 400x400mm.
EWD’s transfer system measures cant sizes automatically and selects the optimal saw pattern, being displayed on a touch screen with four alternative cutting solutions. Some 600 different patterns and products are stored in the optimisation programme.
Cants can be resawn in single, double or triple stack configurations, with an automatic return system bringing pieces back through the resaw for a second pass on products that need further cutting.
